Vodka Is Making a Comeback, Says The New York Times

Vodka? A comeback? says most of the country, who never stopped drinking it. But what the Times really means is that vodka is making a comeback in bars. And by bars they mean craft cocktail bars in the city. Snooty mixologists are finally letting people drink vodka again.

Midwest ribbing aside, when the craft cocktail movement really picked up steam, there was a very understandable backlash against vodka and its bland, characterless form. “If we were going to have a craft cocktail scene,” [Audrey Saunders] said, “I had to take the vodka bottle away.”

But now that people are more comfortable with their Negronis and rye is making a play for bourbon's territory, bartenders are relaxing and letting vodka back in the door. (And not all vodka is characterless, it's worth nothing. Take a look at our visit to one distillery that's doing it a little differently: How Vodka Goes from Grain to Bottle: Middle West Spirits in Columbus, Ohio.)